Scarborough Gas Project Emissions Linked to Hundreds of Heat-Related Deaths, New Study Finds
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – Emissions from Woodside Energy’s Scarborough gas project in Western Australia could contribute to at least 484 additional heat-related deaths in Europe alone by the end of the century, according to research published today. The study, conducted by researchers at University College London, offers a novel method for quantifying the human cost of individual fossil fuel projects.
the research team utilized the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Transient Climate Response to CO2 Emissions (TCRE) tool to calculate the Scarborough project’s climate impact. The TCRE estimates that every 1,000 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions causes 0.45C of additional global heating. researchers estimated scarborough’s likely contribution to global heating to be between 0.00024C and 0.00055C, acknowledging the difficulty of precise measurement at this scale.
While acknowledging a potential reduction in cold-related deaths in Europe,the net impact is projected to be 118 additional deaths.
“Considering the vast number of fossil fuel projects operating globally, the cumulative contribution of these emissions to climate change is substantial and should not be overlooked,” said Yuming Guo, a professor of global environmental health and biostatistics at Monash University, who was not involved in the study.
The study’s authors suggest their approach could be adopted by governments and companies to assess the environmental and societal risks of future projects. “This tool could be part of the process for determining whether a project should be approved,” explained lead researcher Dr. King.
The findings arrive amidst increasing global scrutiny of fossil fuel projects and heightened legal and ethical obligations to address climate change. Dr Kat O’Mara, a senior lecturer in environmental management and sustainability at Edith Cowan University, noted the research reinforces the need to consider climate impacts beyond simply measuring carbon production, notably considering the recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice stating countries must take action to protect the climate.
The Scarborough project, approved in 2021, is expected to produce 8 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually. woodside has defended the project, citing its importance to global energy security. However, critics argue that expanding fossil fuel infrastructure is incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
